Pioneering Broadcaster for Dodgers, Astros, Rangers Dies at 96
Summary
René Cárdenas, a pioneering Spanish-language baseball broadcaster, died at age 96. He was the first full-time Spanish broadcaster in Major League Baseball, working with teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, and Texas Rangers over more than six decades.Key Facts
- René Cárdenas started as the first full-time Spanish broadcaster in MLB in 1958 with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
- He helped introduce Spanish radio broadcasts for the Houston Colt .45s (now Astros) starting in 1962.
- Cárdenas created baseball’s first international radio network in 1966, reaching 13 countries in South and Central America.
- He was the first Spanish-language broadcaster for the Texas Rangers in 1981.
- Cárdenas returned to the Dodgers in 1982 and worked there for nearly 20 years.
- He broadcasted other sports events, including the 1971 Muhammad Ali vs. Jimmy Ellis heavyweight fight.
- Cárdenas was inducted into the Nicaragua Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame in 2002.
- The Dodgers and Astros publicly mourned his death and praised his impact on Spanish-language sports broadcasting.
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